In many institutional settings, such as prisons, jails, hospitals and mental health facilities, individuals are confined, restrained or taken into custody against their will. It is also necessary from time to time for personnel, such as law enforcement officers, to transport individuals in such settings from one location to another. Transporting detainees causes stress on both the detainee and the personnel having the responsibility to transport the detainee. Detainees may threaten or attempt to bite or spit on the personnel. In addition, the detainee may be infected with any of a number of communicable diseases that are transmitted through bodily fluids, such as the blood, saliva or mucus expelled by the detainee.
In order to protect such personnel, protective head coverings have been developed to prevent biting, spitting and the spread of communicable diseases. The inventor of the present invention is patentee of a prior U.S. patent covering a transport hood for protecting personnel from detainees and their bodily fluids. U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,262 discloses a transport hood that includes a top portion and a bottom portion made of different materials. The top portion is made of a substantially transparent material. The bottom portion is made of a material that is impervious to bodily fluids that can be expelled by the detainee. The top and bottom portions are joined by a first length of elastic that gathers the transport hood at a point just below the eyes of the detainee. A second length of elastic may be provided along the bottom edge of the bottom portion to secure the bottom of the transport hood around the wearer's neck just below the chin of the detainee. Both lengths of elastic are intended to secure the transport hood snugly on the head of the wearer without seriously restricting the breathing or impairing the comfort of the detainee.
One advantage of the prior transport hood is that it may be easily placed over and positioned on a detainee's head even if the detainee is struggling to resist restraint. Because the entire top portion of the transport hood is made of substantially transparent material, there is no need to align any particular part of the top portion of the transport hood with the detainee's eyes. The top portion is constructed using excess material to facilitate placing the transport hood over the detainee's head. The excess material also insures that the transport hood is large enough to fit individuals of all sizes. However, the excess material in the top portion of the transport hood creates two problems. First, the wearer can pull the transport hood down far enough that the top portion, which is not impervious to bodily fluids, exposes the nose or mouth of the detainee. Thus, personnel could come into contact with the detainee's body fluids. Second, the excess material of the top portion of the transport hood can gather around the eyes of the wearer and obscure the detainee's vision.
Thus, it is apparent that there is a need for a means for preventing a transport hood from being improperly positioned on the head of a detainee so as to expose personnel to the detainee's body fluids.
Further, it is apparent that there is a need for a means for preventing the excess material of the top portion of the transport hood from obscuring the detainee's vision.